Combination lock



July 22, 1930. J. J. FlTrzslMMoNs 1,771,080

COMBINATION LOCK Filed July '7. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v fafa/Livi:

' .Sabi/71am@ fam/ef ifi . Iuly 22, 1930. J. J. Fl'TzslMMoNs couBINATIoN Locx Filed .my 7, 192s 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mae/wiwi sabana/5,

Patented July 22, 1930 .PATENT OFFICE JAMES J. rI'rzsIMMoNs, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS COMBINATION Loox Applieauon med Jury 7, 192s. serial No. 290,958.

This vinvention relates to improvements in combination locks, and has for its object the provision of a lock of this character which is durable in construction, efficient in operation,

and especially designed to prevent solution ofthe combination.

A further object is the provision of acombination lock aifording anextremely wide range of combinations in proportion tothe number of combination lock units employed,

and in which the combination may be conveniently and readily changed.

An additional object is the provision of a combination lock of special construction such that the device automatically locks upon movement of the sliding lock -member to locked position.

Other objects will appear hereinafter. The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention willbe best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificatiomin which:

3 l. Fig. 1 is a front elevational 'view f the device of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan section taken on the line Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig.` 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a rotatable disk and an associated ratchet wheel.

of the invention is shown as embodied in a lock similar to a door lock having a slidable bolt'adapted .to be engaged by a keeperalthough it will beunderstood that by obvious structural modifications, the device of the invention may be advantageously employed for any desired locking purpose, such as" an automobile lock, ordinarydoor lock, etc.

Thepreferred embodiment of the invention illustrated comprisesacasing having a front wall 8, .rear wall 9, left wall 10, right wall 11, bottom 12 and top .13. Mounted upon walls 10 and 11 respectively are boss members 14 and 15, each havinga cylindrical opening 5G for the reception of a longitudinally extend- For convenience in illustration, the'device 7W-ith EL keeper 38 t0 Veffect locking and uning shaft 16 which may be rigidly held within-the bosses 14 and 15 or permitted to rotate. Rotatably mounted upon the shaft 16 are a plurality of locking units each composed of a notched disk anda ratchet wheel and each rotatableindependently of the others. Re ferring to Fig. 3, disk 17 is integral with ratchet wheel 18; disk 19 is integral with ratchet wheel 20; disk 21V is integral with ratchet Wheel 22; and disk 23 is integral with 60 ratchet wheel 24. Any number of these locking units may be employed 'and four are shown as representing a suitable number for ordinary use, inasmuch as this number renders the lock very efficient in operation and not too complicated in employing the combi` nation. A plurality of spacers 25 may be vkeyed to the shaft 16 to prevent klongitudinal movement upon the shaft of the various lock units. Connected to the hub portions ofthe respective disks 17, 19, 21 and 23 are chains 26, 27, 28. and 29,-` whichv extend into cylindrical casings 30, 31, 32 and 33 respectively, each of which has mounted therein `a 'coiled spring 34 (see Fig. 4)` and each chain is wound upon a respective drum 35 and extended upwardly and connected 4to an eye screw 36 threaded into'the hub of the respective disk and ratchet.

Slidably mounted within grooves upon the bosses 14 and 15 is a bolt member 37 held in position by a lug 38 upon thecover 13 and adapted `to slide in a direction parallel .to the shaft, 16 into and out of engagement locking of the device. Bolt 37 is provided with a laterally extending rod 39 which project-s through'a slot 40 in the side plate 8 'and terminates in a knob 41 whereby bolt 37 is adapted to be slid into or out of yengagement '90 with the keeper 38 by the operator. `Thebolt 37 is further-provided with a series of spaced notches 42, 43, 44 and 45 within which the disks 17, 19, 21 and 23, respectively, are adapted to rotate in the position shown in Fig. 3. Similarly, each disk 17, 19,21 and 23 is provided with La slot on its periphery 'correspending to slot 46 upon disk 19Ishown in Fig. 4, and boltu37 is locked Vagainst longitudinal movement by the projection of the respective disks into the notches 42, 43, 44 and 45, except when the slots on the periphery of the respective disks are in alignment with bolt 37. The respective chains 26, 27, 28 and 29 are normally secured to the hubs of the respective disks in such manner that when the respective ratchets are disengaged, the notches on the respective disks will be out of alignment. F or example a notch on disk 17 is shown at 47; the notch on disk 19 is shown at 46 as in Fig. 4; the notch on disk 21 is shown at 48; and the notch on disk 23 is shown at 49.

Mounted upon the plate 8 are four sleeve members 49, 50, 51 and 52 within which are slidably mounted plungers 53, 54, 55 and 56, respectively, each of which is normally maintained outwardly by a compression spring 57 (see F ig. 4), and is also provided with a slot 58.through which extends a pin within the boss 59, thus serving as a guide for the plunger and preventing rotation. Secured to each plunger is a collar 60 upon which is pivotally mounted an actuating pawl 61 normally spring pressed upwardly by leaf spring 62 and also normally held out of the path of the teeth on the respective ratchet wheel by an inwardly projecting boss 63. Adjacent each ratchet wheel and mounted between two inwardly projecting bosses provided on the plate 8 is a lock pawl 64 normally maintained in engagement with the respective ratchet wheel by a leaf spring 65. Each lock pawl is provided with an upwardly extending arm 66 adjacent a longitudinally extending plate 67 and slidably mounted through a bracket 68 is rod 69 having a knob 7 O for depression inwardly whereby to simultaneously release all of the lock pawls from engagement with the respective ratchet wheels, rod 69 being normally spring pressed outwardly by coil spring 71. It will be understood of course that each individual lock pawl may be provided with a separate vreleasing rod, but a single rod acting upon all the lock pawls is provided for convenience. The respective chains 26, 27, 28 and 29 are preferably wound from three to five turns upon the respective drums so as to aiford ample range for turning of the disks, and further, each chain is preferably so arranged that the number of depressions of the pawl actuating plunger from t-he rest position to the limit of extention of the chain is not a multiple of ten, in order to insure that the combination'is impossible of solution. As shown in Fig. 3, the

device is in locked position. the disks extending through the respective notches in the bolt 37 and the slots in the disks being out of alignment with the bolt. In order to unlock the device, the plungers 53, 54, 55 and 56 are actuated a predetermined number of times whereby each disk is rotated by engagement of an actuating pawl with respective ratchet wheel. This action causes the respective chains to Wind upon the hubs of the disks, and when the combination has been followed, the respective peripheral disk slots are in alignment with the bolt 37. Thereupon bolt 37 is moved to the left from the position shown in F ig. 3, and the device unlocked. At this stage, knob 70 may be depressed, but rotation of the respective disksl will be prevented by the extension of the main port-ion of bolt 37 into the slots of the disks, and to lock the device, it is merely necessary to slide bolt 37 into engagement with keeper 38 as shown in F ig. 3, whereupon the respective disks Vare brought into registry with notches 4,2, 43, 44 and 45 of the bolt 37, and the disks are caused to rotate through the pull exerted by the respective chains to the position shown in F ig. 3. In order to change the combination at will, each hub is provided with a plurality of threaded openings 72 corresponding in number and position to the ratchet teeth upon tine lock unit. Further, it will be obvious that any number of disks may be employed, and that the number of possible combinations is greatly increased by the provision of additional disks. It is not deemed practicable to employ less than the two disks, and three or four provide a suitable number for ordinary requirements.

'While I have illustrated and described the .f

preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into eifect, this is capable of variation and modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention, I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details and construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modi- Vfications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a shaft, a slidable bolt provided with a plurality of spaced notches, a plurality of spaced locking units independently and rotatably mounted upon said. shaft `and each adapted to rotate within a notch upon said bolt at one position of said bolt, each locking unit provided with a pe ripheral notch permitting said bolt to be slid therethrough when said peripheral notches are in alignment, a ratchet wheel integral with each locking unit, a chain independently connecting the hub of each locking unit to spring means for normally maintaining the peripheral notches out of alignment, a manually and independently operated pawl for actuating each ratchet wheel, and a stop pawl for each ratchet wheel. i

2. A device of the yclass described comprising, in combination, a shaft, a slidable bolt provided with a plurality of spaced notches, a plurality of spaced locking units independently and rotatably mounted upon said shaft lliu llt)

and each adapted to rotate within a notch upon said bolt Vat one position of said bolt, each locking unit provided With a peripheral notch permitting said bolt to'be slid therethrough When said peripheral notches are in alignment, a ratchet Wheel integral With each lockng unit, a chain independently connecting the hub of each locking unit to spring means for normally maintaining the peripheral notches out of alignment, a manually and independently operated pawl for actuating each ratchet Wheel, a stop pawl for each ratchet Wheel, and means for simultaneously releasing said stop pavvls for permitting restoration of said locking units to original positions by means of said chains.

3. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a shaft, a slidable bolt provided with a plurality of spaced notches, a plurality of spaced locking units independently and rotatably mounted upon said shaft and each adapted to rotate Within a notch upon said bolt at one position of said bolt, each locking unit provided with a peripheral notch permitting said bolt to be slid therethrough When said peripheral notches are in alignment, a ratchet Wheel integral with each locking unit, each locking unit provided With a chain member, a cylindrical case for each chain member and having an aperture through Which said chain member extends,

spring means Within each cylindrical case for maintaining tension upon the enclosed chain, a manually operated pawl for actuating each ratchet wheel, and a stop pawl for each ratchet Wheel.

4. A device of the class described comprising, in combination,l a shaft, a slidable bolt provided with a plurality of spaced notches, a plurality of spaced locking units independently and rotatably mounted upon said Vshaft and each adapted to rotate Within a notch upon said bolt at one position of said bolt, each locking unit provided With a peripheral notch permitting said bolt to be slid therethrough when saidvperipheral notches are in alignment, a ratchet Wheel integral with each locking unit, each locking unit provided With a chain member, a cylindrical case for each chain member and having an aperture through Which said chain member extends, spring means Within each cylindrical case for maintaining tension upon the enclosed chain, a manually operated pawl for actuating each ratchet Wheel, a stop pawl for each ratchet Wheel, and means for simultaneously releasing said stop paWls.

In testimony whereof I have signed my nam'e to this specication.

JAMES J. FITZSIMMONS. 

